Burnham orders review of grooming gang early releases
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ordered an urgent review of early prison releases to ensure offenders convicted of grooming-related crimes are not inadvertently freed. This follows pressure from opposition leader Kemi Badenoch regarding the government's scheme to alleviate prison overcrowding.
Why it matters
The issue highlights the tension between managing prison capacity and ensuring public safety, particularly regarding sensitive and high-profile criminal cases.
Image source, Reuters By Joshua Nevett , Political reporter and Damian Grammaticas , Political correspondent Published 6 August 2026, 13:22 BST Updated 18 minutes ago Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ordered an urgent review of grooming gang cases involving offenders that may be eligible to be freed from jail early under the government's release scheme.
The announcement of the review comes after Tory leader Kemi Badenoch raised concerns that child sex offenders could leave jail well before the end of their sentences.
She pointed out that indecent assault was not included in the list of offences that the government said would be excluded , external from the early release scheme.
Five men convicted of indecent assault as part of a historical grooming-gang case in Bradford are among the prisoners whose offences were not included in the list of exclusions.
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